Transcript of "City Planning Realities by Prof. Dr. Avner de-Shalit"

2.
Prof. Dr. Avner de-Shalit
Professor for Democracy and Human Rights
Department of Political Science
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
What do you have to think about when you have to break down a political vision
into concrete city planning?
2

3.
So you have a vision…
but what next?
Avner de-Shalit
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Avner.deshalit@mail.huji.ac.il

7.
The tourist guide
pointed to a man
who had returned from the market
Sitting to rest for a moment
and said
“Do you see this man who return from the market sitting there?
Just to the right of him you see an important building.”
The Messiah will arrive
when tourist guides say:
“Do you see this building?
Right next to it sits a man who returned from the market.”
Yehuda Amichai
7

8.
So having the above motto in mind, how do you break down a
vision into a plan?
Two schools of thought:
If people matter then let it be spontaneous; don’t impose and don’t
plan
If people matter then we should care for them*: so plan
(but who plans? Bottom up vs. top down)
* Including for the least advantages and the vulnerable
8

9.
disadvantages
9
! Frustration and despair
Anyway, in very rare cases do
authorities give up planning
! Pollution pockets in New
Jersey

10.
Suppose it is not spontaneous – so what should you take into
account?
! Democracy → the people
! Democracy → city authorities
! Democracy → bureaucrats
Persuade... Campaign…
10

11.
Oh dear, Is there any other way?
! Can we do it differently?
! Can we ignore the need to persuade and to campaign?
! We don’t have time; we were told to prepare the vision – can we
skip this?
11

13.
So let’s start with the people
To gain the People’s support, you need to think of coalitions:
! Who else have similar visions?
! Who might support you initially?
! And who will join only because others will join earlier?
But how to approach them?
13

14.
The People’s language of politics is the language of metaphors
and images
Prof. George Lakoff (UC Berkeley)
14

16.
! Political metaphors: Tax relief, Red line
! Images: the state as a family: the two model:
! authoritative father
nurturing mother
! Democrats enthusiastic because of
Obama’s “Yes, we can”
16

17.
City authorities?
! Regardless of any other (policy) goal they have, politicians’ goal is
to be re-elected.
! So they’ll do what most people want them to do.
! Hence it’s back to persuading the people
! OK, though in general true, this isn’t so easy; we have to think how
to translate the vision into practice in terms of….
17

19.
Think how your vision not only costs but also opens up
opportunities…
! Tourists?
! Students coming to the city?
! More commercial and industrial activities will bring more income
which will bring more tax?
19

20.
So what about bureaucrats?
A word of praise for bureaucrats
which also explains why so many people hate bureaucracy
20

22.
Vision people vs. bureaucrats?
What characterizes their profession ethics?
22
! beauty
! aesthetics
! the good (not always
reachable)
! Paid by the public – have to
take into account the public’s
interest (who knows?);
! Might be afraid of their bosses
(mayors, general directors) of
the comptroller

23.
Vision people vs. bureaucrats?
Mode of thinking
23
! Motivated by problem solving
attitude
! Down on earth
! Obliged to regulations
-> no shortcuts
! Motivated by grand visions;
excitements
! Think in the abstract
! Not bothered by obstacles
ready to take shortcuts